Flat stock perforator



May 5, 1970 M. D. GLENDENING FLAT STOCK PERFORATOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 17, 1967 IN VENTOR. M

A (/01? .0. 6L ENDEN/N6 May 5, 1970 M. D. GLENDENlNG FLAT STOCK PERFORATOR Filed Nov. 17, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet B IN VENTOR. MAJOR 0. GLE/VDEN/IVG In r r May 1970 M. D. GLENDENING 3,509,788

FLAT STOCK PERFORATOR Filed Nov. 17, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. k MAc/OR 0. GLENDENl/VG I Baa ATTORNEY y 1970 v M. D. GLENDENING 3,509,788

FLAT STOCK PERFQRATOR Filed Nov. 1'7. 196'? 4 SheetsSheet 4.

Hill I N VEN'TOR. MA JOR D. GL ENDEN/A/6 A T TORNE Y United States Patent O 3,509,788 FLAT STOCK PERFORATOR Major D. Glendening, Benton Harbor, Mich., assignor to F. P. Rosback Co., Benton Harbor, Mich. Filed Nov. 17, 1967, Ser. No. 683,935 Int. Cl. B26d 7/06 U.S. Cl. 83114 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A flat stock perforator having upper and lower heads in which one of the heads is spatially adjustable relative to the other. The head containing the perforating disks, has mounted thereto stock stripper plates which serve to retain the perforated stock at table level while the perforating teeth are removed from the stock. A stock chip collector is provided in the head containing the perforating dies.

Background of the invention This invention pertains to a perforating machine for flat stock.

In perforating machines which accommodate continually fed stock, such as flat paper stock being processed between10,000 and 20,000 feet per hour, it is essential that there be an uninterrupted flow of the stock through the machine. One factor sometimes hindering this flow is the tendency for the stock to stick or anchor to the perforating teeth after piercing of the stock. The usual method heretofore practiced in the industry for alleviating this tendency is to provide strippers consisting of spring steel fingers extending at the sides of the perforating disks adjacent the perforating teeth so as to hold the stock at substantially table level permitting the withdrawal of the teeth from the stock.

This method requires the time consuming setting of the stripper fingers independently of the setting of the perforating disk and the careful alignment of the fingers so as not to interfere with the action of the perforation disk.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention pertains to a perforating machine for flat stock having upper and lower perforating heads capable of being quickly displaced even during the perforating operation. One head carries non-rotatable stripper plates disposed about and juxtaposed to its perforating disks. The other head containing the perforating dies has disposed within its die cavities a chip cleaner to facilitate collection of the stock chips.

The displaceable perforating heads provide a means for rapidly obtaining clearance between the heads to facilitate machine setting and the checking of adjustments of the setting.

By having a non-rotatable stripper plate disposed about the perforating disk, the stripper is always properly oriented with respect to the perforating disk. An adjustment of the disk also positions the stripper.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a perforating machine that is easily adjustable and requires a minimum amount of set-up time.

It is an object of this invention to provide a perforating machine in which adjustment of the perforating disk also adjusts the position of the stock stripper.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a perforating machine of easy maintenance.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent upon a reading of the inventions description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of this invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description where- 1n:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the upper end lower perforating heads.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary end view showing the gearing and shaft arrangement as viewed from the left in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of one embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a sectional detail view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a sectional detail view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary illustration of upper and lower creasing members adaptable for use in this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The preferred embodiment illustrated is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It is chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its application and practical use, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention.

This invention pertains to an improved perforator in which a preferred embodiment is pictorially illustrated in FIG. 1. Perforator 10 includes a rigid support frame 12 of any suitable construction having a stock feed table 14 fixedly carried by one end thereof and a stock delivery table 16 pivotally connected at 17 to the opposite end thereof so as to be adjustable in the vertical plane. Both stock feed table 14 and delivery table 16 have laterally adjustable stock guide members 18 mounted thereon for the purpose of assisting in the retention of the stock (not shown) before and after perforating. Pivotally connected to a transverse spacer shaft 20 carried by the frame and extending in the direction of and overlying the delivery table 16 is a long weight bar 22 which is adapted to maintain the perforated stock in an orderly stacked manner as it is fed onto the delivery table between guide members 18 and against a stop 23. An adjustable feed roller assembly 24 whose function is to feed the stock into the perforating assembly is mounted on frame 10 at the discharge end of feed table 14 and adjacent to a perforating assembly 26. A detailed description of feed roller assembly 24 is contained in my co-pending application, titled Feed Mechanism for Flat Stock, Ser. No. 683,895, filed Nov. 17, 1967.

The perforating assembly 26 is best shown in FIGS. 2, 6 and 7. The upper head 28 of the assembly includes one or more perforating disks 30 each preferably splined to a mounting or hub 32 which is fixedly attached to a rotating shaft 34 by means of a set screw 36. Each perforating disk has circumferentially spaced perforating teeth 60. The number of disks 30 mounted upon upper head shaft 34 is dependent upon the number of desired rows of perforations. The spacing between rows of perforations depends upon the lateral spacing between disks 30 along upper head shaft 34. Upper head shaft 34 is journaled by eccentric bearings 35 rotatably adjustable in the frame 12. Fixedly attached to bearings 35 and positioned interiorly of support frame 12 are partial gears 38. Engaging each partial gear 38 is a spur gear 40 which is fixedly attached to a rotatable shaft 42 whose axis is parallel to the axis of upper head shaft 34. Shaft 42, which is mounted within support frame 12, mounts a calibrated throw lever 44 positioned exteriorly of frame 12 which serves asmeans to rotate shaft 42. Rotation of shaft 42 causes the mutually eccentric rotative or rocking adjustment of both bearings 35 journaling shaft 34, with a resulting displacement of perforating disks 30. Lever 44 has a graduated 180 throw which produces a 90 sectored rotation of partial gear 38 and of bearings 35. A full 90 sectored rotation of bearings 35 will shift the perforating disks 30 relative to perforating dies 46 to a selected extent, and may disengage the same.

Disposed adjacent each side of each perforating disk 30 is an apertured stripper plate 48 preferably constructed of spring steel. Each stripper plate 48 is slidably disposed about or freely rotatable upon shaft 34. One plate 48 is located between mounting member 32 and disk 30 and the other plate 48 is located at the other side of disk 30 and is retained by a mounting member 50. Mounting member 50 may be a nut which is threaded upon a reduced threaded neck part projecting concentrically from member 32. The stripper plates 48 are thus positioned at opposite sides of the perforator disk 30 and preferably have clearance relative thereto, as pro vided by suitable spacer means (not shown) on the mounting member 32.

To anchor the stripper plates 48, thus preventing their rotation and movement with disk 30 when the latter rotates, it is preferable to provide one stripper blade plate 48 with a nylon yoke 54 molded about its upper end portion. Two pins 56 may be molded onto or made to project from yoke 54 in a position to extend through apertures in the attached stripper plate 48. Two corresponding apertures may be provided in the other stripper plate 48 and this plate positioned over pins 56. A spacer portion 57 having a thickness greater than the thickness of the perforating disk 30 is disposed between the plates adjacent the pins 56. Yoke 54 is forked at 58 to straddle the shaft 42, with the slot between the forks 58 being of sufficient depth to allow for the eccentric displacement of the shaft 34, the perforation disk 30 and stripper plates 48 when bearings 35 are rotated by operation of the lever 44.

The bottom edge 49 of each stripper plate 48 is substantially straight and is disposed in a plane substantially parallel to and slightly above the level of the feed table 14, and projects beyond the circumference or periphery of the adjacent perforating disk 30 at the discharge side thereof. The plates 48 have their bottom edges located inwardly of said teeth to expose the teeth. Each stripper plate 48 projects beyond the disk 30 at the feed side thereof and has edge 49 angled upwardly so as to avoid interference with feeding of the stock to the perforators 30 by the feed roller assembly 24.

Disposed below the head 28 is a lower head 45. Head 45 includes pairs of disks 46 splined to mounting or hub 62 fixedly attached to shaft 68 and spaced apart to permit the reception of the perforating teeth 60 between them. Disposed between the members of each set of disks 46 is a disk shaped chip cleaner 64 which is freely mounted on hub 62 of shaft 68 and has clearance with and is free relative to disks 46. The downwardly and rearwardly extending finger 65 of each chip cleaner 64 engages a transverse shaft 76 carried by the frame and preventing rotation of the chip cleaner 64 with the disks 46. Re taining each set of disks 46 and chip cleaner 64 on hub 62 is a mounting member 66 which is anchored in a manner similar to that utilized in anchoring mountings 32 and 50 of the upper head 28. Shaft 68 is journaled at its end portions to support frame 12 and its axis lies substantially parallel to the axis of upper head shaft 34.

Disposed below and extending forwardly of chip cleaner 64 is chip receiving chute or pan 72. As perforations are formed in the stock, the chips which are punched from the stock fall or become lodged within the space between the disks 46 and are carried by disks until they strike the finger 65 of the Chip cleaner to be dislodged so that they are free to fall into chute or pan 72.

Mounted upon the shafts 34 and 68 are feed rollers 74 and 75 which engage and move the stock through the perforators. Rollers 74 and 75 may be fixedly attached to their respective shafts by set screws 36. One feed roller, such as 74, preferably carries a resilient tire 73 engaging the other roller. Disposed adjacent to each perforating disk 30 is a laterally adjustable burr flattening assembly. Each burr flattening assembly is positioned in longitudinal alignment with a perforating disk 30. Each burr flattening assembly consists of a power feed roller 78 the tangent of whose peripheral surface lies substantially in the plane of the perforated stock as it leaves the perforating assembly 26 and is fed onto the stock delivery table 16. Disposed above each power roller 78 is a roller 80 so mounted as to be verticaly adjustable to accommodate varying thicknesses of stock passing through the perforating assembly at one time. The function of the burr flatteners is to flatten or reduce the burrs created around the perforations in the stock. Power feed rollers 78 may be constructed of nylon and are connected to a transverse shaft 82 which is journaled to support frame 12. A laterally adjustable collar 84 is rockable upon spacer shaft 20- and carries an arm 85 which journals shaft 81 mounting roller 80 to permit gravitational engagement of rollers 80 with rollers 78. Depending upon the size of the stock to be perforated and the desired spacings between rows of perforations, the perforating discs 30, lower disks 46 and associated burr flattener rollers 78 and 89 are each laterally adjustable.

Perforator 10 is powered by'a motor means 83 connected to driven pulley 86 by belt means 88 as shown in FIG. 3. Pulley 86 is fixedly mounted upon a transverse rotating shaft 90 suitably journaled to frame 12 and which has a sprocket 92 attached to its opposite end. A chain 94 is trained around sprocket 92 and a sprocket 96. Sprocket 96 is fixedly connected to lower head shaft 68 and causes shaft 68 to turn in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 4. Also mounted on shaft 68 is sprocket 98 around which is trained a chain 100 extending to and trained around sprocket 102 which actuates the feed roller assembly 24. Chain 100 is also trained around a sprocket 104 in a manner to cause counterclockwise ro tation of the upper head shaft 34 as viewed in FIG. 4. The lower head shaft sprocket 96 also drives gear train 106 which causes rotation of the power feed roller 78. The motor means 83 is preferably of the variable speed type to allow variations in speed of the perforator to best suit job requirements.

Should it be desired to crease the stock, the upper head 28 including disk 30, stripper plates 48, yoke 54 and associated mountings, and lower head 45 including disks 46, chip cleaner 64 and associated mountings can be removed from shafts 34 and 68, respectively, to permit substitution of the creasing assembly as shown in FIG. 9. An upper hub or disk 110 of creasing assembly 108 carries a creasing disk 112. A lower hub or disk 114 has one or more circumferential die grooves 116, one of which receives the disk 112.

In operation, stock (not shown) is placed upon feed table 14 and fed unit by unit, with each unit consisting of one or more sheets, between the heads 28 and 45 where each unit is perforated by disk 30. After perforation, the teeth 60 of disk 30 are pulled from the perforated stock as each unit is drawn into engagement with edges 49 of stripper plates 48. The stock is then fed between burr flattening rollers 78 and 80 and discharged onto delivery table 16. From the time the feed roller assembly 24 causes the stock to enter the perforating assembly 26 until deposit of the stock onto the delivery table 16, the stock units are continuously in movement produced by shafts 34 and 68 and by feed rollers 74 and 78.

What I claim is:

1. In a perforating machine for fiat stock having a support frame, stock feed means, stock delivery means, stock perforating means disposed between said feed means and said delivery means and including upper and lower cooperating rotatable perforating heads, one of said heads having peripheral perforating teeth, and power means for actuating said perforating means and feed means, the improvement comprising a stripper plate, means positioning said plate alongside said toothed head, a portion of said plate projecting beyond the outline of said toothed head, a fork carried by said projecting plate portion, a shaft mounted on said frame and straddled by said fork to accommodate vertical adjustment of said toothed head and plate and to prevent rotation of said plate, one edge of said plate being located adjacent the path of travel of stock between feed and delivery means and through said perforating means and including a part projecting beyond the outline of said toothed head whereby it disengages stock from the teeth of said toothed head following perforation thereby.

2. In a perforating machine for flat stock having a support frame, stock feed means, stock delivery means, stock perforating means disposed between said feed means and said delivery means and including upper and lower cooperating rotatable heads, power means for actuating said perforating means and feed means including a rotatable shaft, the improvement wherein one of said heads includes a hub mounted to said shaft, said hub being shiftable on said shaft and including means for locking said hub to said shaft in selected longitudinal position thereon, said hub carrying a toothed perforating disk and including a first part positioned at and spaced from one side of said perforating disk, a stripper plate positioned alongside said perforating disk and disposed between said perforating disk and said first hub part so as to be restricted in lateral movement relative to said perforating disk, a portion of said stripper plate projecting beyond the outline of the tooth portion of said perforating disk, means engaging said stripper plate projecting portion to prevent rotation of said stripper plate, each stripper plate hub and perforating disk being shiftable as a unit along said shaft upon release of said locking means, one edge of said stripper plate being located adjacent the path of travel of stock between said feed and delivery means and through said perforating means and including a part projecting beyond the outline of said perforating disk whereby it disengages stock from the teeth of said perforating disk following perforation thereby.

3. The perforating machine of claim 2, wherein said hub includes a second part positioned at and spaced from the opposite side of the said perforating disk, another said stripper plate positioned along said opposite side of said perforating disk and disposed between said perforating disk and said second hub part so as to be restricted from lateral movement relative to said perforating disk, a portion of said last mentioned stripper plate projecting beyond the outline of the toothed portion of said perforating disk, and means connecting the projecting portions of said stripper plates spaced from said perforating disk.

4. The perforating machine of claim 3, wherein said means connecting the projecting portions of said stripper plates constitutes a fork, and a shaft mounted on said frame straddled by said fork to accommodate vertical adjustment of said stripper plates.

5. The perforating machine of claim 2, wherein the upper head includes said perforating disk, said power means includes another rotatable shaft, and the lower head includes a hub mounted to said last mentioned shaft, said last mentioned hub being shiftable on and including means for locking said last mentioned hub to said last mentioned shaft in selected longitudinal position thereon, said last mentioned hub carrying a pair of disks separated by a coaxial member journaling said last mentioned hub and having a marginal portion terminating within the outline of the marginal portions of said pair of disks to define a passage between said pair of disks in which the teeth of said perforating disk are received and in which chips formed by said teeth are collected, said coaxial member including a portion projecting beyond the outline of the marginal portions of said pair of disks and clear of said perforating disk to engage and release chips collected within said passage between said pair of disks, and means engaging said coaxial member to prevent rotation of said coaxial member, said coaxial member being shiftable with said hubs, perforating disk and stripper plate as a unit along respective said shafts upon release of respective hub locking means.

6. In a perforating machine for flat stock having a support frame, stock feed means, stock delivery means, stock perforating means disposed between said feed means and said delivery means and including upper and lower cooperating rotatable heads, power means for actuating said perforating means and feed means including a rotatable shaft, the improvement comprising means supported by said shaft and carrying a toothed perforating disk rotatable with said shaft, said carrying means being shiftable along said shaft, a stripper plate carried by said carrying means and including a part spaced from said carrying means engaging said machine to prevent rotation of said stripper plate with said shaft, said stripper plate positioned alongside said disk and being transversely positionable relative to said machine with said disk upon shifting of said carrying means, one edge of said stripper plate being located adjacent the path of travel of stock between feed and delivery means and through said perforating means and including a part projecting beyond the outline of said disk whereby it disengages stock from the teeth of said disk following perforation thereby.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 838,147 12/1906 Sturgis 83344 X 845,764 3/1907 Curtis 83332 1,225,326 5/1917 Hahl et al. 83l18 1,319,496 10/1919 Stachowski 831 14 1,687,522 10/1928 Staude 83-122 X 2,202,843 6/1940 Edwards 83122 X 3,407,691 10/1968 Schlesinger 83-344 3,122,040 2/1964 Bishop 83-332 X JAMES M. MEISTER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

